In "CombatCritic Reviews Lawrence, Kansas Services" I review Jayhawk Nation businesses ... good and bad!
World traveler...41 countries and counting; Amateur chef ... studied for 3 years in Pozzuoli, Italy; Published author ... editorials, articles, popular blogs, and an upcoming book!
On the Front Lines in the Battle Against Overpriced Travel, Food, and Accommodation ... Follow Me To TravelValue!

Friday, August 12, 2016

811 E 23rd StreetLawrence, KS 66046Phone: (785) 838-4488Website: harrisautorepairinc.comPrices: $$$$Unscrupulous, rude, unprofessional ... AVOID HARRIS AUTO REPAIR AT ALL COSTS! Read my initial Yelp review dated 4/25/2016 for reference.I have no idea how these guys get 5-star ratings on Yelp, other than from friends, but take this Yelp Elite's word for it, think twice before taking your car there because your or someone else's life could be in jeopardy if you do.I should have gone with my gut feeling on these guys. Something was just not right, but I could not put my finger on it. Now I know what the problem is. They either do shoddy work or charge people for doing nothing at all because the $600 brake job they "supposedly" did on my car in April nearly caused me to rear end a bus that decided to stop in front of me (for no apparent reason) a little over a month ago and less than 3 months and 500 miles after they "fixed" my brakes.As I mentioned in the review I wrote 3 days after they did (or did not do) the work referenced above, the brakes seemed no different than before I spent $600, but I trusted them and gave them the benefit of the doubt, assuming that the brakes worked fine and the vehicle was safe to drive. It is not. I was not very close to the bus I mentioned above, but when it unexpectedly stopped in the middle of a block for a jaywalking pedestrian, my brake pedal went straight to the floor and my car came to a very slow stop, barely missing the rear end of the bus. I was very lucky that I did not hit the bus, stopping inches from its bumper. Anyway, I was leaving town for a month and did not have time to take the vehicle in and tell them about the problem before I left, so I thought it could wait until I returned.Well, now I am back from my trip and decided to stop by Harris Auto Repair today to tell them about the problem with their brake job. As I explained the problem, to Lance I believe, it seemed obvious that he was not going to stand behind the repairs they may or may have not made. Instead, telling me all of the things that could possibly be wrong with my brake system, I then asked him if they had inspected the system when they performed the work in April and why I was having the same exact problem after spending $600 in their shop. If they were in-fact "professionals", they would have inspected the brake system thoroughly (which I paid an extra $86 for), diagnosed the problem correctly, and performed NECESSARY repairs, charging me a fair price for work performed. At this point he started to get indignant with me, raising his voice and saying "look Chris, we've been through this before ... blah, blah, blah". That was when I stopped listening, realizing he was not about to stand behind their shoddy work (which nearly caused an accident) and telling him "Fine, I'll just take it somewhere else to get your work fixed".On a similar note, a week or so ago (the day after I returned) I asked them for an estimate to have three belts replaced on the same vehicle (at which point I planned on telling them about the brake problem) and was quoted around $230, but I was alone and they could not shuttle me back and forth while the work was being performed, so I decided to go to my regular mechanic. Mike, at Don's Auto Center on 11th Street (near Haskell), quoted me $160 to replace the belts, which he did in an hour, charging me exactly what was quoted.I will never consider taking our cars to Harris Auto Repair again and highly recommend that you consider doing the same. I have had extremely poor experiences with mechanics in Lawrence (Das Autohaus is another example) where integrity appears to be severely lacking, Don's Auto Center being the sole exception. So take your vehicles there because they are honest, you can trust them, they do good work, and they will charge you a fair price ... unlike Harris Auto Repair.

CombatCritic Gives Harris Auto Repair 1 Bomb Out Of 10, Earning Them A Spot On CombatCritic's "WALL OF SHAME!